When you’ve been playing the game as long as Darren Clarke has then there’s good reason to love what you’re doing.
That’s still very much the scenario for the now 57-year-old Northern Irishman and in now his 36th year in the pro ranks.
Even from an early age, Clarke seemed he would go on to forge a pretty decent career in the club-and-ball game winning five prestigious amateur championships in the months ahead of turning pro as a then 21-year-old in 1991.
There would have been many thinking at that time Clarke will not have to wait long for a maiden pro career victory on the European Tour but he did, and at his 76th pro event when Clarke captured the 1993 Alfred Dunhill Open in Belgium
Five years later Clarke made his first appearances at two of the biggest golf events worldwide. He missed the cut on his debut at The Players Championship, but his first visit to Augusta National Golf Club was much more successful, shooting 67–69 on the weekend to finish in a tie for now career-best of 8th at the Masters Tournament.
EXCLUSIVE …
“I still love the challenges #Golf presents” says Darren Clarke @DarrenClarke60 now in the deep end of 36-years as a pro
Read: https://t.co/xyeD1VzLbW@ChampionsTour @DPWorldTour @IrishGolferMag
Getty/ @TheAbacoClub
✅ @TOURMISS (Bernie ) pic.twitter.com/GatUCqCORi
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) March 2, 2026
It would be a wait of a further of 13-years when Clarke won at the game’s highest level and with this writer remembering the emotional scenes with his victory at the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s, and just a handful of years post losing his young wife to breast cancer.
Clarke captured 23 worldwide titles ahead of turning 50 with 14 of those on the European Tour and three counting on the PGA Tour.
He’s currently placed 22nd on the all-time DP World Tour money list with winnings of £20.4m, one place ahead of fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell and a spot behind good friend and fellow European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn.
He’s also found his footing on the Champions Tour winning five times including victory in the 2022 Senior Open at Gleneagles and where the championship is returning this year.
I recently caught-up with Clarke for a rare ‘more than two-minute’ chat. Indeed, this portion of my interview lasted just over four minutes.
“Okay, Bernie! What do you want? Two minutes, okay? Two minutes”, Clarke said and now smiling.
My first question very much to the point: “Darren? How long have you been working at this job?
Clarke responding: “I turned pro when I was 21. I now 57, so that’s 36-years”.
I then asked: “Do you still wake-up each January 1st excited with that New Year enthusiasm in looking forward to a new season? Does Allison (wife) need to get you organised or motivated?”
“Alison is also wonderful as she sends me down to the putting green saying ‘go work on this, go work of that’, so get plenty of support from her,” said Clarke.
“The thing is Bernie, if I didn’t love what I do so much, I would been doing this.
“I am also very fortunate in that we live within the Abaco Golf Club estate in the Bahamas. I am an ambassador for the club while the practice facilities are second to none.
“My best mate down there is a guy called Matthew DiMase, who is number two in charge while he’s also the course superintendent, so when I get myself ready to go away to play tournament’s he’ll speed the greens. He does everything for me while I have my own tee, so I can properly word.
“Now if I don’t want to work, I go fishing (smiling). I also go to the gym. I do all bits and pieces, all because love it.
“As for Alison, and aside from being great in pushing me to work on my game, she works herself. Not that she needs to.”
Though it’s not all peaches and cream for the Northern Irishman nor any professional sportsperson as he explaind.
“In saying that, there is still those times it pisses me off and I hate it but that’s golf”, he remarked.
“The game, at present, is what it is but then we all know why golf is called golf. You know, I love the challenge golf presents. I’m competing on a Tour where we’re very fortunate to still be playing professional golf at my age. I’m also in a place where I feel like, if I play well, I have a chance to win.
“That is not the case for me anymore on the main tour but saying that, I enjoy coming out here. I enjoy coming in and out of the Bahamas to come and play here in the States. It’s just great and I am lucky to be on the Champions Tour. I’m lucky to be living in the Bahamas.
“So, I am very happy. Allison is very happy. Our boys are doing great. So, it’s all good.
“The great aspect also about the Champions it’s all very friendly at the start of the week but then when it’s time to tee-up, it’s also very competitive, and as soon as that gun goes off, we are back to being golfers and that’s why we’re here.
“A lot of people are surprised as to actually how we were and you were also would have been surprised. It’s just a jolly. We want to try and win, so we work!”
It was 2018 when Clarke wound-up his DP World Tour career contesting eight events that year, including missing the halfway cut in his closing three – the Irish Open, Scottish Open and the 147th Open – in turning 50 on August 14th.
He’s only contested just seven ‘main tour’ events since turning 50 including the 2019 Irish Open and six Open Championship’s, and with the exception of a T52nd finish at the 2024 Open at Royal Troon, he’s sat out the weekend rounds in the other six.
It prompted a question if Clarke would have liked to play on the LIV Golf Tour.
A very happy Darren Clarke with an equally delighted golf journalist. (Image – GolfByTourMiss)
“I look back on my career feeling fortunate to have played both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and both those tours were very good to me”, he said.
“They’re obviously now playing for a lot of money both at LIV and also the PGA Tour, so good on them”, he said.
“There are some incredible players on both tours but if I look back and try and summarise what I could have done, I’ve got no idea but at it stands I think that obviously the PGA Tour is very, very strong now and getting stronger and LIV are obviously up-and-down a little bit.
“So, nobody knows really what’s going to happen in the long term with that.
“I for one would like to see, and I rarely do watch golf while the golf I do watch are just the majors when all the best players in the ARE together. I just do not anymore watch golf weekend, week out anymore.
“So, I just watch the majors and maybe the Players and also Wentworth, and the Ryder Cup as they’re the only real golf tournaments I watch”.
Clarke has always been accommodating over the course of so many years of ‘annoying’ him though in transcribing what also was my best interview ever with him, I note this portion of my near 12-minute sit-down with him was a few seconds over four minutes.
Maybe Darren’s being a little more accommodating in his older years (smiling).
DARREN CLARK – GOLFING FACT FILE
- As an amateur, he won the 1989 East of Ireland and then in 1990 added the Spanish International Amateur Championship, Irish Amateur Close Championship, South of Ireland Championship and North of Ireland Amateur Championship titles.
- Turned pro later in 1990 playing a first full European Tour season in 1991.
- Won the first of 28 pro events with victory in the 1993 Alfred Dunhill Open in Belgium.
- In 1997 finished T2nd in the 126th Open at Royal Troon.
- At the 1999 European Open Clarke shattered the K. Club course record by four strokes with a 12-under-par 60. Clarke carded 12 birdies – including a record-equalling run of eight in a row. At the time it was only the third 60 in the history of the European Tour.
- Clarke used some of his second place prize purse of Euro 165,000 to buy a UK licence plate – 60 DC
- In 2000 secured the then highlight of his career defeating Tiger Woods 4 & 3 to win the WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship.
- In 2003 won a second WGC at the WGC-NEC Invitational.
- In 2011 won the 140th Open Championship at Royal St. George’s. It was a highly-emotional victory, five years after the loss of his wife Heather to breast cancer.
- A few days later Clarke’s drove his €197,000 black Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, resplendent with its personalised ’60 DC’ license plate into the car park at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club. In the passenger seat was the famed Claret Jug,
- A five-time member of the European Ryder Cup team winning four times (1997, 2002, 2004 and 2006). Captained the 2016 European Ryder Cup side.
- Clarke awarded an OBE in 2012
Darren Clarke being presented by Tour boss George O’Grady with a 500th DP World Tour event momento ahead of the 2014 Masters (Image – Getty)
- At the 2014 Masters Clarke celebrated his 500th DP World Tour event.
- Turned 50 in August 2018.
- Has won five times on the Champions Tour, including 2022 Senior Open Championship at Gleneagles.
PLEASE …
If you have enjoyed reading this article please read the first and second portions of my interview with Clarke, first speaking on fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy and how Clarke believed he was always going to be superstar golfer.
While the second is Clarke’s thoughts on whether or not Luke Donald should remain in the role as 2027 European Ryder Cup captain for Adare Manor.
And a fourth and final article will follow with Clarke speaking of his friendship with Tiger Woods.
